Today marks National Red Nose Day! What is it you may ask? Well, it’s a day dedicated to raising money for children in poverty in America and around the world. This national fundraising campaign is run by the non-profit Comic Relief USA with the goal of helping to end child poverty through the use of comedy. Since 1988, National Red Nose Day has managed to raise over 1 billion dollars! As college students, you may wonder what you could possibly do to help raise money when you yourself are struggling to keep up with college funds. That’s perfectly fine! There are multiple ways you can help raise money with little to no money. Even donating some of your time can not only help others, but in turn, benefit you as well in the long run. Here’s how you can do it:

How can you help?

1. You can stop by your local Walgreens or subsidiary Duane Reade and purchase a red nose for $1. Donning the red nose symbolizes a kid-friendly air that both entertains and brings awareness to child poverty. Just donating $1 can help provide 11 meals for hungry children through your local Feeding America Food Banks.

2. You can get onto the Red Nose Day website and donate money using either PayPal or card. Even small donations help!

3.You can either find or start your own fundraiser to aid children in poverty without having to spend any money. If you choose to start your own fundraiser, you have the choice of either fundraising on your own, joining a team, or starting a new team. At the Red Nose Day website, they provide you with a list of ideas on how you can start up a fundraiser.

4.You can tune into NBC from 8:00 pm-10:00 pm on Thursday, May 24th and watch three different shows “Celebrity Ninja Warrior for Red Nose Day”, “Running Wild with Bear Grylls for Red Nose Day” and finally the live broadcasting of the “Red Nose Day Special”. Each show is tied together to celebrate Red Nose Day. Throughout the three shows, you will be entertained, learn about the programs supported by Red Nose Day, and provided with the opportunity to donate to the charity through phone calls. To learn more about the programs, click here.

5. You can spread the word! Making others aware if this campaign increases the chances of others donating their time or money to help!

How can you benefit from volunteering?

As a college student, volunteering for a non-profit organization not only helps out your community, but also keeps your skills up-to-date, expands your network, and provides yourself with the opportunity to get a potentially paying job.

Putting your volunteer work in your resume helps you showcase your skills, experience, and expertise. When employers look through a resume, they tend to only look at one for 6-10 seconds. In order to make it count, you need to have something that stands out. Red Nose Day or any other volunteer work is a great way to do so.

Even being a part of some form of Greek life on your campus can benefit you greatly. By being associated with a sorority/fraternity, you get involved in some shape or form of volunteer work. Employers will most likely take notice of this on your resume. According to the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the Greek system is the largest network of volunteers in the US, with members donating over 10 million hours of volunteer services each year.

If you want to find other non-profit volunteer organizations near you, click here.

Graduating from college is an important milestone in any graduate’s life. It marks your ability to commit to something long-term and accomplish it. Getting your degree is the first step into entering the professional workforce and while it’s exciting, there’s a hurdle you must jump before you can land that first job; writing a resume. Writing resumes is something most recent graduates struggle with, but with the right formatting and content, you can write a killer resume any employer will be drawn to. Here are some tips on how to create such a resume:

Use a reverse-chronological format: As a recently graduated college student, it’s best to use a reverse-chronological format. You most likely won’t have a lot of work experience, so using this format is the most practical way to show your vertical career progression. Listing your education at the top is practical because it’s your greatest qualification. Click here for a step-by-step guide on writing a reverse-chronological resume.

2. Keep it to one page: You won’t have enough experience to justify having a second page to your resume. Did you know that employers will only look at a resume for 6-10 seconds at max? Therefore you need to make your resume short, sweet, and to the point.

3. Do not include a reference page on your resume: Since your resume needs to be no more than a page, don’t waste valuable space by adding references.References should be made available upon request. Employers most likely won’t ask for references until the actual face-to-face interview. Bring a separate page with your references when that time comes.

4. Include a link to your professional profile: Every recent graduate needs to have at least one professional profile established. Most professional employers use social media as a form of researching their candidates, particularly through LinkedIn. Provide a link to your profile with your contact information.

5. List your GPA: If you have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, list it at the top of your education background. Anything below a 3.0 should not be listed, but keep in mind, employers will take notice of this and possibly ask you about it during the interview.

6. Bullet point your work experience accomplishments: Many people make the mistake of listing the tasks and responsibilities they were given when describing their work experience, but employers aren’t interested in this. They’re interested in what you accomplished while you were there. Since employers will only scan over these accomplishments, it’s best to bullet point everything so that it’s easier to digest. Make sure to also use strong action verbs when describing said accomplishments.

7. Leave anything from high school out: Employers aren’t interested in what you’ve accomplished before college. They want current, relevant information that supports your overall career oriented goals.

8. Don’t fluff up your summary/objective: Throwing in words such as “team player” or “proactive” are overused terms employers recognize as pure fluff. Instead explain how you were able to improve any processes.]

Avoid using pronouns: When writing your resume, it’s best to avoid talking in first person (“I” or “Me”) or third person (“John worked as”, “He worked as”). The best way to write your resume is in a telegraphic manner.

10. Use relevant keywords: When applying for a job, look for repeating key terms in the job application. If you have any of those skills or had any experience in that process, then incorporate them into your resume.

Good news! You survived another semester of classes! The only thing left to do now is sell all the textbooks you never want to lay eyes on again. There are many places to sell your books at, but not all of them have the competitive pricing that eCampus.com uses. We make the buyback process as quick and easy as possible and offer in-store credit, direct deposit, or check. You can either choose to sell directly through our website, or you can sell through our Marketplace.

Selling Textbooks on eCampus.com

Selling your textbooks on our site is fairly straightforward and fast. You just need to enter the ISBN number located above the bar code of your textbook and get a quote on what it’s worth. Once you see your quote you’ll receive different payment options. If this isn’t your last semester of school, it’s recommended to choose the in-store credit option because you’ll receive a bonus that can be applied to your next semester of classes. Once you select your payment option, just ship your books to us and you’ll be paid!

Benefits of Selling Textbooks with eCampus.com:

Shipping is always free

It’s easy! Just print your label and send us your books

Get paid by check, direct deposit, or in-store credit

Choose in-store credit for a bonus

Books with writings or highlights in them are still accepted

Selling Textbooks Through the eCampus.com Marketplace

The Marketplace feature allows you to list your textbooks for sale on our website. All you have to do is enter the ISBN number located above the bar code of your textbook and give a brief description of the books you’re selling. Once your textbook is sold, we will send you a notification email. You can either receive payment through direct deposit or check. View additional details here.

Benefits of using the eCampus.com Marketplace:

Expose your inventory to over $1 million college students

Easy payments made directly to your bank account

Dedicated Marketplace support team

No annual fees

Downloadable reports

FTP inventory management

Volume seller friendly

Option to sell bulk quantities

Added Benefits of using the eCampus.com Marketplace:

No hidden costs or annual costs

Integrate easily with Fillz and Art of Books Inventory Management

Competitive shipping reimbursement

As students, you have two options when it comes to selling your textbooks. You can either sell them online, or sell them to your campus bookstore. You may receive instant cash when you go to your campus bookstore, but you could be making a whole lot more selling through our website. Check out your quote on eCampus.com today!

According to the Gregorian calendar, Friday the 13th is the unluckiest day ever. The origin of this chock-full superstitious day is unclear. Some believe it derived from the bible, others believe it comes from Norse mythology. Either way, this day frightens millions of people worldwide and causes them to act differently than they normally would. Here are 13 facts about Friday the 13th that might sate your curiosity surrounding its superstitious misfortune.

1. Many hospitals and hotels avoid having a floor 13 and a room with a 13 in it. They skip right over to 14.

2. There is an actual scientific term for the fear of Friday the 13th. It’s called paraskevidekatriaphobia. Fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia.

3. The ancient Egyptians believed the number 13 to be lucky because humans went through 12 stages of life and the 13th stage was related to the afterlife.

4. On April 13, 2029, an asteroid called 99942 Apophis will closely fly by the planet Earth, but fear not, scientists have found that there is no risk of it colliding with the Earth or the moon.

5.The famous movie franchise Friday the 13th popularized the fear of Friday landing on the 13th day of the month.

6.More than 60 million people worldwide claim to be affected by Friday the 13th and will even refuse to get out of bed, go to work, or drive a car.

7.Heavy metal was born on Friday, February 13, 1970 with Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut album.

8. Some believe the misfortune of Friday the 13th was linked to the bible. For example, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus was labelled the 13th apostle at the Last Supper which took place on a Friday.

9.During the 1930s through the 1940s, the townboard of French Lick, Indiana decreed all black cats to have a bell tied around their neck on Friday the 13th to ward off bad luck.

11. In 1882 a group of thirteen men created the Thirteen Club. They gather every 13th of the month and defy superstitious beliefs. They would do things such as walk under ladders, break mirrors, open umbrellas indoors, etc.

12.In Spain, Tuesday the 13th is considered bad luck because they associate it with the Roman God of war, Mars. They go as far as to say not to get married on a Tuesday, or even leave your home.

13.Some folklore offer remedies for fear of Friday the 13th. One is to either climb to the top of a mountain or skyscraper and burn all the socks you own with holes in them. Another is to stand on your head and eat a piece of gristle.

If you are a college student, then you know the everyday struggles one goes through. Trying to balance school, work, and a social life seems like a nearly impossible task, but there are millions of apps out there that’ll aid you in keeping everything together. We compiled a list of 20 mobile apps that we found to best suit college students needs, ranging from study aids all the way to health, fitness, and more!

1. Venmo

Venmo is a secure digital wallet app that allows you to transfer money over to another Venmo user. All you have to do is link the app to your bank account and you’re good to go! It’s very convenient for college students who owe friends money.

Scholly is a scholarship finding app. All you have to do is enter 8 parameters, and Scholly will narrow down and give you a personalized list of scholarships you are eligible for. It will even track your application progress and manage deadlines.

iResumes is the perfect resume building app. Create professional resumes using a step-by-step wizard. You’ll even be guided through the thank you letter and cover letter process. You can create multiple resumes and send them as an email or download them into a PDF.

Alarmy is an alarm clock that makes it impossible for you to go back to sleep. You can adjust your settings to where you’ll either have to shake your phone for a certain amount of time, solve a math problem, or even get out of your bed to go take a picture of a specific spot in your house. Say goodbye to the snooze button!

Evernote is a note-taking app full of different features. You can bookmark pages, make to-do lists, sketch and take pictures, share notes with friends, and a lot more. This is a perfect alternative to using a pen and notebook.

LinkedIn is a business and employment aimed service used for professional networking. On LinkedIn, you can find jobs and become connected to the right people, which will aid in your credibility as a confident worker. This app is good for college students looking for an internship or a career.

iStudiez provides college students with the best time management app. With this app, you can create daily or weekly tasks, have your class schedule on hand, know your grades, and more! You can either download iStudiez Lite which is free, or you can download iStudiez Pro with no limitations.

Wolfram Alpha is both a knowledge computational engine and an answer engine. It differs from other search engines due to its ability to answer questions, perform computations, generate analysis, and prepare reports. It’s the best research engine for everything!

Dropbox is a file hosting service that offers iCloud storage, client software, and file synchronization. It keeps all files up to date on each platform a user has. It’s a great app for college students who need backup folders for all the papers they write.

TED is an app full of inspirational talks from people of all professions. You’ll see TED talks from educators, musicians, Nobel Prize winners, and more! The app is a great way for college students to become informed on current ideas going on around the world.

Groupme is a very useful group messaging app. Once the app is downloaded, it will sync all your contacts. This allows you have a group of up to as many people as you want. You can also search people by name and add them to a group if you don’t already have their number.

Wholesome is a personalized nutrition tracking app. Not only does it track calories, but it also helps you make sure you are getting the proper amount of vitamins and nutrients along with tips on particular food items you choose.

Sworkit is a personalized workout app that gives you a variety of options. You can practice with bodyweight workouts, cardio, yoga, and more. The app keeps track of all your progress and will give you a personalized list of workouts based off of it! College students who can’t afford to pay for a gym membership will love this at-home workout guide.

RetailMeNot is an app chock-full of coupon websites. You can find in-store and online store coupons that range from anything including accessories, food, health, toys, travel, etc. If you are a college student on a budget, try using this app the next time you hit the grocery store.